


Dream Walker

by peterpeterpumkineater



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Abandonment, Abuse, Anorexia, Anxiety, F/M, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Nightmares, Other, Past and Present, Shadow travel is the best, a lot of OCs - Freeform, dream walking, hypnos is a dickhead, in love with a hunter, transgender OC as main character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2018-08-31 12:33:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8578702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peterpeterpumkineater/pseuds/peterpeterpumkineater
Summary: Angry Solangelo, strange happening with a mysterious character, yay





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
Nico  
"Solace!" Nico growled, frustrated. "How many times am I going to have to tell you? Don't call me death boy!" He stalked over to Will and poked him roughly on the chest.  
"Well what do you want me to call you then?"  
"How about my name?"  
"Fine." Will breathed, put out by Nico's sudden anger. "Death boy..." he added under his breath, just loudly enough to be heard.  
With another growl Nico turned away from Will and threw his hand in the air, a very Italian thing to do. He walk away towards the lava mountain on the other side of camp. "Why are you the only person who isn't afraid of me?" He yelled.  
Other campers wandering around turned their heads at the sudden outburst, but kept on walking, knowing better than to get involved in yet another fight between the two boys.  
A head stuck out of the Aphrodite cabin's window, "Would you shut up? We're trying to watch Legally Blond!"  
Nico made a shoving gesture in her direction with his left arm and started walking in the direction of the forest. After having another stupid and trivial fight with Will, the last people he wanted to see were Aphrodite kids. While they occasionally gave good advice, he wasn't in the mood.  
He liked Will, he liked him a lot, but his childish stubbornness on little things had a bad habit of pissing Nico off. Like how he hardly ever called Nico, _Nico_ Or how three months after the war he _still_ flipped out every time Nico tried to use his powers. Or how he _still_ flirted with Miranda Gardner.  
_Yes_ , it was a joke, _and yes_ , he realized he was gay the first time he ever kissed her, _and yes_ , she was a fantastic friend, but it still made Nico uncomfortable; and he didn't understand how Will couldn't see that. He always tried to laugh along, but it was never genuine, it always soured his mood, it made him insecure.  
It made him scared that he wasn't forward enough with Will. That he didn't do enough; that _he_ wasn't enough. What if he was too timid? He didn't even know he was the kind of person Will actually needed. And seeing them so close... It didn't make him question his faithfulness romantically to Nico, but it made Nico question himself. Was Nico right for Will? Nico who made him worry all the time, Nico whom he fights with, Nico who never makes the first move, Nico, who can't possibly be enough.  
Screw this. He thought, and turned sharply into a cabin's shadow and let them embrace him.

Will

The words he'd said hung in the air.  
"Why are you the only person who's not afraid of me?"  
Could Will actually answer that question? The guy had more power than even Percy Jackson, more than Will could ever possibly possess. He was a summoner of the dead for crying out loud, Will had every reason to be terrified of him, but he wasn't.  
_Trust_. Will trusted him.  
But that didn’t answer the question. Why had he blown up like that?  
Normal day, Will had examiner duty, Nico joined him, he had to check the Demeter cabin, they chatted with Miranda for a bit. Then on the way out he'd beckoned Nico with a "Come on death boy. Next Cabin." But as soon as they got outside, his whole mood changed.  
He knew where Nico had gone, but he needed to figure this out before he went after him.  
So yes, Will knew Nico didn't love being called death boy, but it was a joke...A pet name, a minor annoyance at worst. It wasn't something that ever got upset or hurt by. This meant that this was related to something entirely different.  
Maybe he'd realized he didn't like Will that much. Why would he? The last person he'd had a crush on was Percy, a son of Apollo wasn't exactly a step up. Will remembered when he had first met Percy; the thrum of power that flowed through the air, even more so with physical contact. It was a wonder Will hadn't fallen head over heals himself.  
Nico had it too. The feelings he could share through a touch were more solid, heavier, like a blanket almost. They draped over Will when they were close, warm and comforting. The power was low; it hugged the ground before running up your legs to wrap around your core.  
Will, a child of the light- in the literal sense- had always been fascinated by dark things. It wasn't a surprise that he found comfort in a child of Hades. If he was fully honest with himself, as soon as they met at the battle, Will knew he was doomed.  
They'd known of each other before that, obviously, but they had both been so young. It felt like centuries ago when a young and scruffy black haired child had joined Camp Half-Blood.  
He wondered if Nico actually saw any of that.  
He was staring into the empty space where Nico had been when another dark haired figure stepped in front of him.  
"Will. I know I shouldn't say anything, but it's Miranda."  
Will blinked, confused. "What? Why would you say that?"  
Cal looked down. "Dreams." He whispered. "Think." Then he was gone, melted into his own shadow. _What the hell was was up with this dude and weird one word answers?_  
Callen was a child of Hades, like Nico, who had come to camp recently. Claimed by both Hades and Hypnos, Cal was a mystery. Nobody knew what to make of him really. There were stories about him circulating from the Hunters last visit; one of them had recognized him apparently. Some said he was a child of Hypnos with a daughter of Hades for a mother and vice versa, but his connection to both of them was strong enough that it confused the gods, or maybe somehow he really was a child of both. It was also rumored that he was over a hundred years old and was once a hunter for Artemis, but Will wasn't quite sure, maybe he hadn't always been Cal. Nobody really knew.  
He preferred to stay in the back of the Hypnos cabin, eyes focused intensely on the dripping branch. Or sleeping. He didn't even get up for inspections, he always looked more like he was wistful or so deep in thought that if you woke him you would feel guilty for taking the secrets of the universe just out of his reach again. But that was all anybody knew, hell, the guy didn't even sit at a table during dinner. In fact, now that Will thought about it, he wasn't sure that he'd ever seen Cal eat.  
But back to the problem at hand. Cal could connect to dreams, Will was sure of it, and this only solidified Will's theory. He would probably claim he couldn't control it, but no way would Will buy that.  
All of his powers aside, what could Miranda have to with-  
"Shit," Will breathed. He broke out into a run towards the forest. He only had a celestial bronze scalpel on hand, but if he got into trouble it would have to suffice.  
It had been a gift from his father, magically sterilizing of course and could be used to close up smaller wounds, convenient in medicine, but absolutely useless for fighting, if it turned into a sword, now that would be something. He reminded himself, not for the first time, to begin proper training in knife combat instead of just regular spears or swords.  
Without shadow travel, the walk to the cave was about fifteen minutes. Nico shouldn't be shadow traveling yet anyways, sometimes he still gets dizzy. If he tried hard enough, Will could probably make it a five minute sprint.  
Only Will, Nico, and Hazel knew about the cave (well Cal probably knew, but if he did, it was unlikely he would say anything, because he just doesn't say anything). Nico had actually found it first. The night he learned of Bianca's death, he ended up running away into the forest, not far from a seemingly abandoned cave, before he'd found the Labyrinth anyway. He didn't realize what the cave was until much later when he discovered it was a shrine to Hecate. He'd swept it out and brought Hazel there while she had Hecate's blessing and the cave had lit up like the night sky. But it didn't last after she left. He brought her back again sometime later and they worked on it together and fixed it so the sky stayed. As long as an offering was present and a prayer said, the light would remain. Nico hadn't told the Hecate cabin yet, wanting to keep the secret between them a little longer.  
It had been the first thing Nico had shown him in the beginning of their relationship. Their first kiss had been there. When they wanted to be alone together they would go there. Will knew that Nico thought of it as his space, almost more so than his cabin. (If only because he hadn't redecorated yet, so it still felt like a mausoleum)  
Will panted as his lungs tried to keep up with his feet.  
"Wha-Ooof!" He crashed chest first into a body and then as they fell landed on top of it.  
"Will, get off of me!" Nico yelled, trying to wriggle out from underneath Will, who was just slightly bigger.  
"Nico?" Will cocked his head to the side and braced his forearms on either side of Nico's head.  
"Yes. Now get off." He pushed his hands against Will's chest, and turned his head to the side, refusing to look at him.  
"Just leaving then?" Will questioned.  
"As a matter of fact yes, I was. So, can you please get off me?" Nico grumbled, just barely trying to keep his tone even. He gave a hard shove and tipped Will off of him, flopping him on to the bed of pine needles. He got up quickly and started to walk away, his head down. Will sat up, hoping he hadn't missed his chance.  
"Why didn't you just tell me?" Will called after him, getting to his feet and making the long strides he needed to get close enough that he could put a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder.  
"It's not fair to you." Nico said through gritted teeth, the rest of his body frozen.  
"If something I do hurts you, then I don't wanna do it anymore. I'll talk to Miranda-"  
"So you finally figured it out then?" Nico spun around, his hands balled into fists inside his pockets.  
Will looked away, "Cal helped..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Replay in other pov, and stuff, I suck at chapter summaries, just read the thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm doing this for NaNoWriMo, partially at least, and I'm posting these from a different device than I originally wrote them on, and I have to edit, trust me when I say the process is slightly complicated and confusing, especially since they weren't originally written in a chapter by chapter format, so with some of the time jumps, it's just a pain in the arse to post at times.  
> If you see a spelling error or typo that I missed, PLEASE comment about it so I can fix it, those can be super annoying to read, I know they get on my nerves, so just let me know. Thx!! xx

Chapter 2

Nico

Nico leaned against a tree tipping his head back, trying to let the solidity comfort him. He shouldn't be so mad, he knew that, he knew it wasn't fair, but that didn't change anything. Watching them, their arms around each others shoulders, the way she watched Will leave, how tightly they hugged, how good they looked together. He didn't want to think that he and Will could never have that. It was petty jealousy, Nico thought, and it made him madder at himself than he was mad at Will.  
He stared into the mouth of the cave, wanting to go inside, but not feeling like he wanted to deal with the memories he had there. I was his and Will's special place still. He knew had to tell the Hecate kids about it, a connection to their mother would be good, but he didn't want to give it up yet. Selfish. Again.  
"You make me greedy Solace." He whispered to himself, shaking his head with a sigh. He turned out from behind to the tree to walk away and looked up just in time to see a golden blond head barreling toward his chest at full speed. "Wha-Oof!" Will smashed into his and sent them both sprawling, one on top of the other a foot or so back wards.  
He tried to wriggle out from underneath, "Will, get off me!"  
"Nico?" Will questioned.  
Even when Nico wasn't looking at him he could picture the head tilt in his mind. "Yes. Now get off." He pushed his hands into Will's chest, trying to warn him off. Nico could feel his face going red, and turned it as far into the pine needles as he could without impaling his eyes.  
"Just leaving then?"  
It almost sounded like laughter in his voice. "As a matter of fact, yes, I was. So can you please get off of me?" Nico tried to keep his tone in check, he didn't want to hurt Will, but he was getting more agitated by the second. When he made no move, Nico gave a solid shove and knocked Will onto his back beside him. Nico stood quickly, and had already started to walk away when Will called out to him.  
"Why didn't you just tell me?" There was a hint of nervousness in his voice, and Nico stilled. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder.  
His body was tight when we answered. "It's not fair to you." He almost felt better after he said it aloud.  
"If something hurts you, then I don't want to do it anymore. I'll talk to Miranda-"  
Nico scowled, and whirled around. "So you finally figured it out then?" Will didn't need to talk to Miranda, just not talk to her as if they were the ones dating, not third wheel Nico with years worth of inside jokes and memories that he couldn't be a part of. Nico tried to stop that train of thought, he couldn't ask Will to abandon a friendship, and that's exactly what it sounded like.  
"Well..." Will began, looking down at Nico's shoulder instead of his face. "Cal helped."  
"That son of a- " Nico let himself fall backwards into his own shadow, and he disappeared before he even hit the ground.  
When he reappeared in the realm of light he was in front of the Hypnos cabin, and Cal was already in front of him. Nico ignored the fuzz at the edge of his vision and grabbed Cal by the front of his shirt and dragged him behind the cabin and pushed him against the wall, his forearm against the slightly taller boy’s throat.  
"Why the hell are you messing around in my dreams?" Nico demanded.  
"Because I care." Cal answered his voice quiet, his eyes a steely grey.  
"Well keep your Lethe fingers out of my head." Nico said, his fingers digging into his chest. He could see a spark of anxiety in Cal's eyes; feel his heart speed up. It betrayed his even tone.  
"Trust." Then he was gone. Cal disappearing whenever he was questioned or in trouble was becoming an annoying trend.  
Nico leaned against the stone wall of the Hypnos cabin and ran a hand through his hair. He slid down it, his limbs tired, bones aching. This, he decided, was not a good place for a nap, but it wasn't uncomfortable.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cal's perspective in the past, finally getting a look into backstory

Chapter 3

 

Cal, 1916

"Get out of my house! Demon! Demon! Get out! You are not my daughter! Sick! Sick!" A woman, dare Cal call her his mother, pelted his face with blow after blow. She grabbed at his chest, "You are a girl; you are possessed! I cast you out!"  
"Get off of me! Let go!" He yelled as she twisted his arm behind his back and flung him out the door with a final whack on the head with her fist. He heard a slam as he lay sprawled out on the street and he could hear her sobbing through the door.  
"Never come back! Jesus, protect this house against demons, have mercy on my soul..." The words trailed off into jumbled and hysterical prayers.  
"I'm not your daughter, I'm your son!" Cal screamed, getting to his feet. He slammed his fist into the door. "Damn it." Avoiding the stares of people on the street he tugged his jacket around his shoulders tighter. He could already feel the bruises forming on his chest, arms, and face. He ran a hand through his freshly cut and choppy brown hair. He knew it was hideous, but anything was better than the mane he'd had when he first woke. He made his way down the street, maybe if he was lucky he'd be able to find an empty park bench to sleep on before sundown. He was headed for central park, it was the nicest one in this city, the best a newly homeless boy could hope for.  
He had just reached the edge of the park when a hand grabbed his shoulder out of no where and spun him around. He didn't resist, he hoped it was someone who wouldn't recognize him or at least didn't know that he was a transvestite. The thought barely made it through his mind before a solid fist rammed into his face. Cal stumbled backwards and blood ran into his eye from a split in his brown bone. There was only one ring that would do that.  
"Dad?" He whispered, dazed and confused as he lay on the cold ground.  
"What have you done to my wife?" His step-father, Michael, yelled, kicking Cal in the side.  
He didn't respond, but for the quiet whimper that left his throat at the assault. He simply laid there and took it. This had been happening on and off for years now, Cal had known that cutting his hair and fully changing his dress would be the last straw, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it. Between a choice of lying misery and brutality, and honest misery and brutality, Cal had opted for honesty.  
The arms that had just been beating him lifted him up.   
"Your mother and I have decided to take you to Willard." The voice was calm, not a hint of sadness about this, no guilt or regret. It was this that shocked Cal out of his daze.  
"N-No, no, no, no! Let go of me!" He shrieked, wriggling and kicking, creating the biggest scene he could, he could hear footsteps and whispers as they passed people. But none moved to help. He hated how he sounded, but had to get out, he couldn't go to Willard, he couldn't. "I can't go there, no, please, let go of me, let go! Don't take me away!" He couldn't control his muscles, shaking and screaming he writhed until he couldn't breathe. Sweat and blood pooled in his eye sockets, it was a dream, a terrible, terrible dream, if he could just wake up.  
"You're acting like a child Alexandra, you are going to Willard. There is no way out, you should just cooperate."  
The words sent Cal into a renewed frenzy. Finally Michael let go of him. Cal had managed to kick him in the side of the head. Cal's skull cracked against the pavement, weak and dazed, he still managed to scramble to his feet and start running. He pushed through the people, back to the park, away from his father, away from Willard. He kept running as he entered, running, running, blind and bloody, but the only thing that mattered was escape.  
"Shit-" Blinded in the dark and by the grime still in his eyes, he tripped on a rock and careened through a thorny thicket and down into a rocky river bank where he smashed his head, _again_. With the harsh blow in combination with sheer emotional and physical exhaustion and injury, he stayed there, not moving. Till the cool water felt warm and lulled him into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I use the word transvestite, I have a bit of an aversion to this term, but, at the time that was the only word there was. 'Transgender' or 'transexual' were not used or acknowledged at all from what I can tell from the research I've done. Sorry if it offends you, but at the same time, historical accuracy is something that is very important to me, and I also think it's bad to not acknowledge that that's how it was. So yeah... Also, Willard, that was a real and quite notorious asylum/mental hospital in the day that ran from some time in the 1800's to 1956-ish, you can in fact look a lot of it up. It's very sad really, and the concept of going there is horrifying. You can look up more about it if you want to understand the level of fear that Cal had when he was almost forced to go.  
> From here on out there's a lot of really dark things as you can probably see, so just watch out because it's uhh, it's really all down hill from here I guess


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sad Solangelo :(

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably gonna be a common thing, but comment about typos if you see one, thanks!!

Chapter 4

Nico

Nico lay on the hard ground, it was hot to the touch, and scorched his hands. He sat up, his head swimming.  
His eyes tried to make sense of the layers of space all around him; darkness, figures, torment, chaos. He crab crawled backwards, his hands slipping somehow despite the rough ground. He tumbled backwards, falling through the layers, whispers, screams, secrets, things he never wanted to know, thoughts of others he never wanted to hear, demons replaced by the voices of people who he knew.  
He landed with a hard thud, his body sinking into the fire. He struggled to move, his body succumbing to the burning. His head broke the surface and he gasped for air. It was like breathing in poison, like tear gas.  
The half nonsensical and half understood words still assaulted his ears and strange visions, his eyes.  
_"Remember me....?"_ Whisper assuaged his ears amongst the cries of those wandering and burning.  
"Akhlys." He breathed, closing his eyes, trying to tune out everything but her voice. She was completely calm, the only thing that was. _Why? Why was she so calm?_  
Sharp hands grabbed his shoulders and his chest heaves.  
_"Drink of the phlegathon, child of death, you are perfect alive. Drink and live!"_ She pulled him down father into the blaze.  
"Let me die! Please, let me die!" Nico cried, unable to resist the heaviness of the misery that yanked him down, pulling him further into the combustion. The acidic hell invaded his eyes, ears, and mouth. No part of him was spared from the inferno. It felt like every nerve, every fiber of his being was being incinerated.  
_"Wake up; it's okay; Darling, it's just a dream. Come back to me; it's okay."_  
_Dream, dream, this wasn't real; it hadn't happened like this, it's not real._ He wrestled with the thoughts.  
_"Please, Nico, it's Will, I'm here, wake up."_ Will's voice forced its way into the dark recesses of the dream urgently.  
He blinked, his vision going back and forth between showing pieces of the dream and Will's face swimming in front of him. "Will? Where am I? What's happening?"  
"It was only a dream; everything is alright."  
Blearily, Nico felt Will crawl over him into the bed. Strong arms wrapped around him and he sighed, his quick pulse slowing down.  
"You're gonna be okay." Was the last thing he heard before slipping back into sleep.

****

When Nico woke up he was in the infirmary, a place familiar to all of his senses. What he wasn't expecting was to find Will Solace curled around him. Nico was tight in the other boys embrace, his head rested on Will's arm, and he had one leg over Nico's waist, and the other was between his legs.  
It was comfortable, warm, and safe. Sighing deeply, he absentmindedly traced Greek letters on Will's hand. Nico pushed away the tension he still felt and focused on this moment.  
Will; his steady heartbeat, confidant, locking him in this moment, to this place, this life. He was perfectly present. Nico shifted just slightly and snuggled up closer to Will, enjoying the way their bodies fit together.  
"Gods... What is happening to me?" He breathed in Will's scent; clean, like cinnamon and late forest nights. "I think I might love you Will Solace." Nico yawned, his head still fuzzy with exhaustion. He pulled Will's arm tighter over his shoulders and let his eyes drift shut. He was still murmuring I-love-you-s and I'm sorry-s when he fell back to sleep. But there was one word that reverberated through his consciousness even still, _trust_.

Will

Will began the walk back to camp. He hated it when Nico used shadow traveling to get away from him. First Nico did it, then Cal appeared and disappeared, and then Nico pulled that again. Even if it wasn't far someone would probably find him asleep somewhere in camp, and then Will would have to take him to the infirmary.  
_Gee, does this sound familiar at all? Will thought sarcastically._  
Nico had been trying to shadow travel again for a few weeks now, but he hadn't been having much success. Oh, yeah sure, he could go places, but being completely lucid when he got there? That, that was his problem. The example he put forth today had been an improvement since then however. Two and a half or so miles without passing out, and appearing to be totally fine, that had a one way trip down. Now there was the mystery of the return journey. Maybe it was Apollo's spirit speaking in him, but Will was almost entirely sure that he would pop up somewhere around the Hypnos cabin.  
He had, after all, gone to confront Cal, and with Cal's powers which ranged from shadow traveling to dream walking, he wouldn't be surprised to learn that he could knock people out by poking them or something, but if Nico passed out it was probably due to over exertion. He was just too stubborn sometimes.  
He entered camp just in time to pass Cal, who was heading towards the pavilion.  
"He's asleep behind the Hypnos cabin." He said, his voice cracked on the last word and he hurried off, looking deeply unsettled.  
_Weird_... Will thought, Cal was like sixteen, his voice should've been well past cracking... He _had_ sounded a little higher than usual... Will shook his head, he'd worry about Cal's puberty status later, he had to go pick up his likely half dead boy friend from behind the cabin.  
He made his way round the bend and, just as Cal said, lying curled up against the grey stone, was Nico, fast asleep. It was as adorable as it was worrying to see him tire out so easily, which is to say it was probably the most worrying thing in the world for Will. It was almost worse however, that Nico didn't acknowledge it.  
"The stubbornness of a Hades child knows no bounds." Will grumbled as he picked the still form in his arms to carry him princess style. He walked around behind the cabins. He doubted that any of the campers would mock Nico for passing out, not after what he did in the war. It's not as if his struggles with regaining his power were completely unknown. More than once had campers found him just lying on the ground asleep. He just didn't get the whole, "maybe you need to rest" thing. Ever since the war ended Nico had been trying to shadow travel nearly everyday. It was likely that that was what was responsible for his inability to do it well consistently. But would he listen? Naah, course not.  
Nico sighed deeply and curled into Will's chest. He couldn't help but smile, as terrifying as Nico could be, he was also one of the cutest people in the world. Completely irresistible.  
Will crossed the thresh hold of the infirmary.  
"Again?" Lee Fletcher asked when he came in. Lee was patching up yet another Ares kid. They were always coming in and out.  
Will shrugged and nodded.  
"Gods, he is hopeless."  
He couldn't help but chuckle at that. "I'm just gonna keep trying." Will murmured, looking at Nico's sleeping face.  
"Better put him to bed, you sappy mister. The room is waiting." Lee shook his head with a quiet laugh.  
"Can you hurry up?" The Ares kid asked, "Clarice is organizing and arm wrestling competition right now, I don't wanna miss out."  
"You just dislocated your elbow and sprained you wrist and you wanna enter in an arm wrestling competition?" Lee asked, incredulous. "I have half a mind to leave you like this till it's done!"  
"But-"  
"Don't even, if I have to tie you to this table, I will." Lee’s tone was flat and serious.  
"Fine..."  
Not wanting to hear the rest of the exchange, Will headed to the back room. It had basically become Nico's second home. All of the things he needed to treat him were kept in the small night table next to the bed, an extra chair for Will, a stand for his sword.  
Briefly supporting him with arm, Will pulled back the blankets. He laid Nico on his back as gently as he could, not wanting to wake him up. He needed all the rest he could get for when he tried to shadow travel tomorrow after all. He took Nico's hand, which was still gripping his shirt tightly and pulled it off.  
"What am I going to do with you, di Angelo?" He sighed, and tugged the blankets up to his waist.  
Will opened the drawer of the night table and pulled out a salve. It was made up of ambrosia and aloe and a few other things. Will had made it for the first time after the war, it worked well for demigods when they were passed out and couldn't eat or drink without chocking to death or something. If the mixture was off it could be a little sticky, but otherwise it was quickly absorbed through the skin. It wasn't quite as potent as eating it would be, but it usually helped the capers rest and heal well. It had been something applied almost hourly in the after the war.  
Nico stirred in his sleep and turned over on his side.  
"Thanks for doing that for me Hon." A little of Will's southern accent poked through in the words. He pulled up Nico's shirt up and bared his back so he could rub the salve into his skin.  
By now, Will was used to bodies peppered with scars, but seeing them on Nico never ceased to make his heart ache. He knew that Nico was closer to seventy or eighty years old at this point, but when Will looked at him he didn't see a Captain America-esque character. He saw a teenager who'd been through too much and needed some peace and happiness for once in his life.  
Will traced the ridges of Nico's spine, and the scars, large and small, that crisscrossed his back. He had finally started to gain some healthy weight back, but he was still very thin. Will was glad though that Nico sat with him at the Apollo table. It allowed him to keep track of how much he was eating and occasionally when he wasn't looking, sneak food onto his plate.  
Will took some of the salve and began to rub it into his back. The nice thing about it was, that similar to taste when you drank nectar or ate the ambrosia, when it was in the cream it took on one of the user’s favorite scents. As Will rubbed it in, it slowly began to smell like a strange mixture of cinnamon and the forest. There was something so familiar about it...  
When he was done, he re-tucked the blanket over Nico, who promptly took it out of his hands and curled up under it, pulling it tight.  
Will smiled. _Yep, completely irresistible._ He stroked Nico's hair before putting the medicine away.  
He turned to leave and was in the door when a worried murmur distracted him.  
"Nico?" Will questioned softly, angling his face so he would best hear a response if one was given.  
"Akhlys.."  
"What?" Will turned around in time to see Nico curl into a tighter ball. He frowned. He knew exactly what was happening, after a few months together and seeing Nico asleep more than a few times he recognized one of his flashbacks.  
"Let me die..."  
Will rushed back to the bed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Wake up, it's okay; Darling it's just a dream. Come back to me; it's okay."  
His fists gripped the sheets and his face was taught with distress.  
"Please, Nico, it's Will, I'm here, wake up." Will shook his shoulder.  
Nico's eyes opened just slightly, they were glazed over, watery and blood shot. Will didn't know what he was actually seeing; him or the nightmare.  
"Will? Where am I? What's happening?" Nico asked, his voice stuck somewhere between a groan and a whisper.  
"It was only a dream, everything is alright." Will rubbed his hands till they relaxed their grip on the blankets. Will crawled over Nico and slipped under the blankets. He caressed his side and pulled him close. "You're gonna be okay." He felt Nico's body start to relax and sighed with relief.  
Will hated the fact that Nico had had to go through everything that he did, he hated the fact that it hung over his head, following him around eternally. He hated what all of the wars and battles the demigods fought had done to them. He wouldn't lie, he was angry with the gods. Of course now that the war is done they've gone like always, running off and not calling us back till they need us to fight for them. Will was one of the people who helped put back the pieces the gods left behind.  
Will took a deep breath and held Nico tighter. _Put a stop to those thoughts,_ he told himself. It was that way of thinking that had caused the first war. People would go to great lengths to get revenge for the wrongs done to them, but all that ever accomplished was more hurt. He knew that the gods would never change anyways. The fact that children were claimed sooner was a huge blessing all on its own.  
Will remembered countless times unclaimed campers would come to the Apollo healers, depressed and wondering why none of their parents wanted them, or at least why they didn't even know who their children were. He remembered too, deliberately not inspecting the Hermes cabin because no matter what they did they were always filled to over flowing and could never be clean. After the first war though, that had changed, every night there was someone leaving the Hermes cabin till only kids who were actually his children remained. _But it was too late to save the ones who had to die to get the gods to acknowledge us. Many in the battle of Manhattan died without ever being claimed._  
These ideas drifted in and out of Will's consciousness as he faded into a peaceful sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ooooooh Cal's perspective again, dramatic thoughts, his ribs are ouchies, holy crap everybody is hot what do i do, ooh let's join the hot people, yeah cool magical camping gear and stuff yeahhhh, was this a good idea? maybe, I'm Cal so I have to act all ambiguous about my feels I'm the most ambivalent person in the world, but I'm not loosely based of the author and some parts of their life noooooo, whaaaaaaaa? what gave you that idea???  
> Yeah, I'm just gonna make the chapter summaries like a comedic parody of all the seriousness, it'll gonna be hilarious/annoying as hell

Chapter 5

Cal

Cal blinked awake. The first thing he noticed that his head was pounding worse than after a night with a drink (or several as the case may be).  
The second thing he noticed was that he was not in his own clothes.  
The third, though less weird then the second, was that he was not in fact still lying in a river, but in a tent.  
He was alone, but this wasn't very much comfort. He took a moment to look down at his clothes, work jeans, typically worn by boys; good for running around, at least it wasn't a skirt. It was however his top that bothered him. It was just a plain white T-shirt, normally this would've been fine, except for the fact that there was nothing underneath it. He cringed at the thought, he knew he had breasts, but when he'd left his house yesterday it had at least looked like he didn't. Someone had taken off his bandages. He shoved down the rising anxiety.  
_Everything is going to be fine_. He told himself, trying to create positive self-talk.  
Quiet voices drifted through the closed fabric of the tents entrance. He sat up, intending to get closer to the entrance, but was interrupted by a painful throbbing on his side. He clutched it with a gasp and a barely contained groan. The voices turned to silence and the tents flap opened, letting in a rush of sunlight that temporarily blinded him.  
Despite the growing pain in his side he tried to crab crawl backwards from whoever it was in front of him. When his sight returned from it brief escapade into blackness, he found that three girls were inside with him.  
"Who the hell are you? Where am I?" Cal cursed and grabbed at his side. _Of course, so convenient to have broken ribs_.  
They said nothing, instead choosing to give him inquisitive looks. Another girl pushed past them into the tent. She had auburn hair and lightly tanned skin. But it was her eyes that caught Cal off guard. Her irises were like halos of moonlight, and in the half light of the tent, it wouldn't have been a lie if he said they were glowing. Despite the youth in her face, when she spoke it was with an authority that could've had him on his knees in an instant.  
"My name is Artemis, these are my huntresses." She gestured to another girl who also had dark hair. Silver band wrested on her head. "This is Zoe, my lieutenant."  
Zoe nodded, golden brown eyes flashing with a mix of curiosity and mistrust.  
"What?" Cal spluttered. "Artemis? The- the goddess?" He didn't now much abut mythology, just what he could gleam from the few historical books he'd taken out of his library. As the wording had been far past his ability to read, he’d given up rather quickly.  
Artemis nodded. "Who are you?"  
His heart stopped for a moment, what does he say? Girl, boy? No... Artemis hates men. "My name- my name is Cal." He cursed himself for stuttering.  
"Your hair is short, for a girl’s." One of the hunters noted skeptically.  
Cal touched the choppy brown ends at the back of his neck. "It was in the way." He murmured the lie quietly. There were a few reasons for why he’d gotten rid of it.  
Artemis waved a hand. "Why were you in the river?"  
"I was running and I tripped and fell. I hit my head on a rock." That, at least, was true.  
"Running from a monster?" She questioned.  
"You could say that." Cal answered, rubbing the bruise on his temple and the scabbed cut on his brow. "Where are my clothes?" He wanted to ask about his bandages, they had been very hard to steal from his mother’s cupboard and he couldn't imagine having to steal new ones from the hospital his mother had gotten them from when she had a swollen leg.  
"Drying over our fire. There were bandages on your chest, they are drying as well. You should not tie them so tightly, they will not help your ribs heal."  
Cal nodded his face pinking embarrassingly.  
"Come." Artemis turned around. "I will show you are camp." The rest of the hunters followed her out of the tent save for one.  
"My name is Alexandra." A faint English accent tainted her words. She looked to be about fourteen, and had long brown hair done over her shoulder in a complicated looking braid. Her eyes were a deep green, and they pulled Cal in like a forest at night. But his heart stopped dead at her name and he felt the blood drain from his face.  
"Are you alright?" She asked, withdrawing her outstretched hand. "You look like you're going to be sick." Her brow furrowed.  
"No." His voice broke, and he coughed. "I'm fine, I just... I used to know someone with that name that's all." Cal shook his head, glad he hadn't given out his birth name. That would've been painfully awkward.  
"Let's get you up then." She crouched down next to him slid an arm under his intending to help him stand, but he cringed at the contact. "I'm sorry," she said, a concerned look on her face as she stood up again.  
"No, I- It's not you, don't worry. I'm fine." He insisted, pushing himself up with a groan. He stumbled into Alexandra, weary legs not wanting to support him. Cal's head spun as he struggled to right himself, the pain in his side dizzying at best. He clung to her arm, "Maybe not." He grumbled through clenched teeth.  
"What exactly happened to you?" She asked helping him stand up straight.  
He took a deep breath, intending to make a half truth quip, but mid breath there was a painful crack. "Aghh." He stifled a cry, gripping his side as his vision grew black at the edges. "Not fine, not fine." He said as he started to grow faint.  
"Bloody hell..." He heard Alexandra mutter under her breath. Strong arms encircled him and guided him back onto the blanket that separated the tent from the ground.  
"Am I bleeding?" Cal questioned, taking shallow and quick breaths.  
"No you idiot, wait." She paused, anxiety taking lead in her voice. He felt her hand on his as she moved it to reveal his side. He watched her face, trying to stay calm despite the pain. He focused on her eyes, hoping they would mesmerize him, but they were flicking back and forth nervously. "Gods." She whispered. She pulled up his shirt. "Cal... I- You're...."  
"Fantastic." He choked out.  
"Your rib, it's-"  
"Broken? Yeah, I can tell." He fisted the blanket beneath him.  
"No- Well, yes, but it's... It's not where it should be."  
"Well yes, that's what being broken usually entails." He laughed and instantly regretted it.  
"Holy- Don't laugh, by Hera-"  
"Noted."  
Just then, another huntress stuck her head through the tents entrance. "What's taking you two so long- By the gods- Where's- Where's Fernanda?" Then she was gone in a flash of red hair.  
"Bad then, huh?" Cal grunted blinking back tears. He met Alexandra's worried green eyes.  
"You couldn't tell?" She flashed a fake smile, probably meant to assure both of them more than anything else.  
"No, I can't feel it at all," Cal paused to cough and exhaled a string of cusses. "Now I can."  
Alexandra let out a nervous giggle. Her voice was deeper when she laughed he realized, almost like sleigh bells. "Can you be serious for one second?"  
"I tried once, too boring." He was vaguely aware of another girl entering the tent; she went by in a blur of tan skin and long curly brown hair. He started to pant faster, "God this hurts, what the hell is happening right now?"  
The other girl next to him, Fernanda, began murmuring in a strange language he'd never heard before, it was beautiful, lulling. He was distracted when Alexandra took his other hand, and his eyes flicked to her face. It had gone a pale white, even her lips looked bluish. She glanced at his face.  
"Why are you looking at me like that?"  
"Like wha-" the word turned into a throat ripping scream and he threw his back. He felt the pain in side triple, then quadruple in a matter of milliseconds. Small and weak cries followed suit as he tried to get a handle on the sensations. It was like someone had reached their hands inside his chest and scrambled it with a whisk. His body shook as he fought off the wave of nausea that followed, hunching over to throw up was the last thing he wanted to do right now. He was fairly sure he'd bruised Alexandra's hand, but he couldn't make himself care in that moment.  
"I'm sorry it hurt, it will be better soon." A thick Spanish accent lilted her words. "It's back in place now, not done yet." She continued to speak, but Cal couldn't hear the words very well, and couldn't understand what he did.  
He released Alexandra's hand, reverting back to gripping the blankets as the waves of pain continued to rush over him. "What's- she saying? It's- beautiful." He asked still trying to catch his breath, though he realized that familiar would've been a better word to describe the language. He closed his eyes, over stimulation had driven him batty before and while staring at her provided a wonderful distraction, it would invite questions he was sure. Plus, you don't just stare at a girl, it's incredibly impolite. He swallowed hard; he didn't need anxiety about that right now.  
"Greek." She whispered in response. "Fernanda is a child of Apollo, she was given the gift of healing when he claimed her."  
Cal nodded and turned his head towards the other girl. Quite frankly he didn't have the energy he needed to be shocked. If Artemis was real of course her brother would be, and likely all of the gods. It made sense now why she'd asked if he was running from a monster.  
He opened his eyes, avoiding looking down to where he could feel her hands pressing against him. "Thank you." He murmured. He could feel his consciousness slipping away as some of the pain began to ebb.  
He heard in hushed tones his name mingled with comfort words. As he fell into sleeps embrace a bright light like the sun at dawn flashed behind his eyes and a great warmth settled over him.

****

When he woke next it was dark. Next to him was Alexandra, snoring softly. He was under a fresh blanket and in a clean shirt. Felt at his side, it had been sewn shut and was tender, but he could tell that what ever Fernanda had been trying to do had worked, already fresh skin was growing, and the pain was back to a dull ache. He sat up slowly, surprised to find that it didn't hurt nearly as bad as before. Gingerly he got onto his hands and knees and from there to his feet. He slouched to avoid stretching his ribs out as that was what had finished him off earlier, but other than that, for one who had gotten the life beaten out of them a day previous, he felt he was doing alright. More than alright really.  
He pushed open the tent flap and quietly as he could, stepped outside. There was a circle of about ten tents that looked the same as his. In the center there was a fire pit, burning low in the night air. His clothes were laying across rack made out of branches. He edged towards it, and reach for his coat and bandages, which he shoved into the inside pocket after shrugging it over his bear shoulders.  
"Leaving?"  
Cal whirled about to see Artemis standing a few feet away. "Grabbing my coat." He said warily. "Am I not allowed to leave?" If the wrong answer was given there could be problems. He was reminded of Alexandra's arms, how sturdy and strong they'd been and he knew that the problems would likely be his. At least he didn't have an ego, credit given where it's due after all.  
"Of course." She responded graciously with a bob of her head. "But, may I beg the question of where you'll go."  
His heart stopped. Did she know? Had she realized who he'd run from? He looked into her eyes, doing his best to appear calm. "Somewhere." He answered simply. It was really the only answer he could give. His home, all it contained now was a hollow-hearted mother and step father hell bent on his living not with them, but at an asylum. And even if he went back there and convinced them otherwise, there was little hope that the abuse he'd already endured would ever end.  
Artemis nodded solemnly. "You could stay with us, if you take our oath."  
"And what would I do here? How is there a place for me here?" Cal questioned, both skeptical and intrigued. "I have never done what you do, I don't belong in a place like this, I can't hunt or fight, I am not a god, and there are those that think I am subhuman at best-" He broke off and swallowed, annoyed at how petulant he sounded. But it was true, he didn't belong here, a group sacred to maidens... The idea was laughable.  
"You can be with us forever, we'll teach you." She waved off his former statements. "You aren't subhuman at all, look above you, daughter of Hades."  
He stumbled back from the word daughter, barely stopping himself from falling into the fire. He looked above him and saw an already fading helmet symbol floating. It was black and misty looking, and almost as soon as Cal had seen it is dissipated.  
"Lord of the Underworld." He breathed. "And I'm his so-" He stopped himself. "Daughter." He finished, almost choking on the word.  
"Now that you know monsters will come from you, the stink of mortals is already fading from you, young demigod. You must make your choice."  
"I-I don't understand, how? Why?" He looked back on his life, the stories his mother used to tell him before she remarried.  
She had conceived Cal out of wedlock; it was one of the things she blamed his mental sickness on. She had told him of where she met his father, at her own fathers’ funeral. He was the fossor, the grave digger. She had stayed behind to grieve, and he had comforted her. From there, all he knew was that she said he'd seduced her with foul magic; that she'd been under the influence of it at the moment of his conception. She blamed his illness on this as well. Black magic will mess anything up.  
"I think you do." Artemis spoke again, interrupting his thoughts. "There is another place you could go, but how much a home it will be for one of your kind I cannot say. Here I can promise that you will have friends and strength."  
"And how long will it last? It sounds as though those people would hate me for who my father is. Why?" He turned around and stared into the dying fire.  
"Not hate, fear. There are powers you have yet to discover. You are stronger than you know. As long as you keep your vow you will always have my protection and will learn how to better protect yourself. I offer you forever." Her voice was dead serious. There was no room for deceit in her tone.  
Now Cal was faced with a different set of choices. Once there had been lying brutality or honest brutality, now he had lying safety, though honest brutality remained. Would he have regrets no matter what he chose? Most definitely. But Artemis had promised forever, more than one lifetime. Maybe, just maybe he could make it to a time where there would be honest safety, where he wouldn't be feared, wasn't a threat to someone's mentality or their power. Power wasn't something he'd ever wanted; all he wanted was the right to make his own choices and to be acknowledged.  
_Who knows_ , He thought, _just maybe I'll earn that with these women_. Just because he would never be one of them fully didn't mean he couldn't learn from them or befriend them. "What do I have to do?"  
"Repeat these words after me." Artemis paused and pursed her lips, then, if this was actually possible she grew all the more solemn. "I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt."  
Cal took a deep breath. He could only hope this was worth it. Survival was what had mattered to him most for so long, now there was an opportunity where he could have that and more, but there were only a few conditions. Were they ones he could live with? He gave himself a split second to make up his mind. Yes. “I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt." He stumbled on the word maidenhood. What if it didn't work because- In that moment his fears were dashed. He gasped, it would've hurt, but other senses had taken priority. He felt like he was glowing, maybe he was. His skin tingled all over, like pins and needles, but good. He felt a strange weight materialize on his hips and in his hands, but he didn't open his eyes. He tipped his head back for a moment, trying to process everything, the strange strength he felt; smells he never even knew existed, sounds he didn't understand. His knees wobbled as the feelings faded, or maybe he just grew accustomed to them quickly. He opened his eyes; the world seemed brighter, more alive than before.  
He straightened fully; he could almost feel his injuries fading. In his left hand was a bow, and in the other, a set of fifteen silver arrows. Resting in leather sheaths on his hip were two hunting knives, one looked to be about fifteen inches long and the other was twelve or so. He looked at Artemis and had the inclination to kneel, so he did. "My Lady." He paused, what did he say? "Thank you. I feel- I feel different, is it supposed to be like this?" The usual shake in his hands were gone, but it had not left his voice. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and looked up, eyes wide.  
"Yes, it's the blessing, you are one of my hunters now. You even have your own tent, in your pocket." She smiled warmly and guided Cal to his feet. She hadn't been unkind to him before, but there was a different connection between them now. Despite the nagging worry in the back of his mind, he felt he'd made the right choice.  
"How would a tent fit in my pocket?" He questioned, tilting his head to one side. He patted the left side pocket in his jeans; sure enough there was a little packet there, when he pulled it out, it was about the size of a match box.  
"Throw it on the ground." Artemis demanded.  
He did as she asked, and to his amazement a white tent puffed out in a matter of seconds.  
"Inside there's a backpack with personal supplies, the bow and knives can appear and disappear as you call them., from now on you carry the back pack with you, the tent folds itself up with a snap of your fingers." She stopped and looked at the slowly brightening horizon. "We'll leave in four hours, try to catch some sleep." Then the goddess was gone and flying into the first glimpses of dawn light was only a hawk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fossor, basically it's an old english word for a clergyman employed as a gravedigger, I like that word, I could've sworn there was another word for gravedigger, but that was the only one I could think of or find. :/  
> As usual, yell at me for typos and stuff, thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dreamy stuff

Chapter 6

Nico

The world was spinning, colors everywhere,blood, sky, forests, cars, old homes, the images flew by too fast to keep track of. Nico shut his eyes tight, and when he opened them again, the world was dark.  
He could feel his heart thumping in his chest, but it wasn't fear.  
When flashes of green, like blinking leaves, shown in the darkness he was confused, but he wasn't scared. The green exploded like fireworks and the world shifted.   
He could see someone, walking at a painfully slow pace towards a creamy river. He recognized it at once, the River Lethe. When he was drawn in closer, he found the person walking was Cal, in his arms was a limp rag doll. Skin that had likely once been tan had taken on a lifeless pallor. The only movements she made were with the jostling of his quiet but jolting steps that shook her in sleep.   
The vanilla river met the girls body first as she tumbled out if his arms, the water swallowing her without a splash, as though it were thick, like mucus. Cal followed in less than a second, the water hitting an impassive face marred only by the ghost of a smile. Then quiet black.  
He was on a bridge, but he wasn't participating. He was a ghost, floating outside of it all.  
The dream grew fuzzy, but he still recognized this place. The bridge, at the battle at Manhatten. The one Percy had destroyed. But he hadn't done it yet, that wouldn't be till much later in the day.   
"Alexandra!" He sees Cal, running towards a girl, the same girl from before, though now her body is working, alive. "Behind you!"   
Alexandra only has time to wipe sweat off her brow and give a confused look before a great hand bats her. She flies through the air, and hits a car, her body leaving a dent in the door before it crumpled to the pavement. The minotaur keeps going, ignoring Cal who runs so quickly to her side that Nico could almost believe he'd shadow traveled.  
She's in his arms, her head rolling awkwardly on her shoulders. The side of her skull is sickening, it was crumpled like a can, the whole side of her face unrecognizable.  
The dream dissipates in a flurry of falling white and black feathers floating through the air at a growing speed. But before it does, Nico glimpses a desperate kiss.   
When the images fade away and he is left in bleak dreamlessness the only thing left is a hollow ache.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long and also for the length. Believe me when I say I've been ridiculously busy, with school and life and work. I'll try to keep this updated as regularly as possible. As usual, if you see a typo or spelling error, let me know, I hate reading them myself, but I don't run this by any body else but myself for editing. Which means I don't always catch everything.   
> Thanks for reading!! Xx


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know the drill, shit happens more dreams. Ilike the dream thing, hence dream walker. Gods everytime i come back to this i get worse at summaries, basically people are figuring stuff out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As per usual, let me know about spelling errors I missed. Sorry it took so long to get this up, with the holidays and school its been hella busy for me, so I havent been able to do a lot of things i want to. Any way, hope you like it!

Chapter 7

***

Nico blinked awake as disgruntled Will carried in a platter for breakfast for two.  
There were strange images in his head. Cal, younger, leaping into a milky river, holding a dying girl in his arms, feathery wings, none of it made any sense.  
"Finally awake are we, Sleeping Beauty?" Will said, setting the tray on the end of the bed and pulling up a chair.  
Nico rubbed his eye with a yawn. "Just barely." He mumbled around a piece of toast. "I feel like death." Nico yawned again, flashing Will and eye full of a mouthful.  
"Gross." He said simply.  
"I had weird dreams last night..." He began, but he trailed off at the worried look on his boyfriends face. "What?"  
"You had a nightmare." Will said quietly, not meeting his eyes. "It was awful, I tried to wake you up-"  
Flashes of his previous dream ran through his mind, "Not that." He interrupted. "I had this... other thing. I think it had to do with Cal, but I don't know. It didn't make much sense."  
Will looked intrigued. "What happened?" He asked, "In the dream I mean." He added.  
Nico felt like if he looked hard enough at Will he would be able to see the gears in his head turning. "I'm not totally sure.. He looked a little younger, he was holding a girl in arms at one point. I think she was dying." He paused, taking a bite of an egg. "Something about a set of black wings and... The river Lethe I think. I don't remember it all."  
Will nodded thoughtfully.  
"When he was holding the girl, I think it was during the first war, the battle in New York." Nico shook his head. "It doesn't make any sense."

Will

"I had this... other thing.Ithink it had to do with Cal, but I don't know, it didn't make much sense."  
Will look up from his bacon. "What happened? In the dream I mean."  
Nico gave him a strange look before he answered the question. "I'm not totally sure... He looked a little younger, he was holding a girl in his arms at one point." A sad look washed over his face. "I think she was dying." Nico paused to take a bite of an egg and Will munched thoughtfully on an apple slice. "Something about a set of black wings and... The river Lethe I think. I don't remember it all. When he was holding the girl, he was on a bridge. I think it was during the first war, the battle in New York. It doesn't make any sense."  
Will nodded. He didn't remember Cal being at the battle, then again, it had been a confusing and terrifying day for everyone. If Cal was sixteen or seventeen now, he would've only been fourteen-ish then. Too young to have somebody die in his arms. It would be easier if he could just set up like, a check up or something, but approaching him was so awkward. He always so deep in thought or sleep, or just plain old sad looking. "Do you remember what the girl looked like?" He asked.  
"Not really, just that she had green eyes, bright green eyes. She was beautiful." He frowned. "I wonder if it was real."  
"Who knows...." There was really only one way to find out. But neither of them had the nerve for it yet.   
Cal had this habit of just knowing. Knowing if you wanted him, what for, he had strange one word answers for complicated questions, but they were always right somehow, Will had never even seen the guy smile. Not to mention that odd scar on his eyebrow. It went right over his brow bone, like something out of a cheesy anime. But when you were face to face there was nothing funny about it. His hands and arms were peppered with scars. Slices that went straight down, like he got them all the same way. But most of them weren't deep. The scars Will had on his hand from from cuts from fleching on arrows looked almost identical. And they were only on Cal's right arm, which made sense if he was an archer. Maybe he just really sucked at archery for a long time. When Will had first started out he nicked his hands with the fleching a few times and was forever stabbing himself while knocking arrows or removing them from the target. But Cal was practically a perfect shot, it was hard to believe that he'd ever been that clumsy with a bow. It was practically inconceivable.   
When Will thought about it though, it really was strange. There wasn't really anything Cal couldn't do well. Except for arts and crafts, his archery was nigh on impeccable, hand to hand combat was great, knife fighting, sword fighting, he could even climb the lava mountain. And his greek sounded like a first language. I should've taken years to master those things, years he hadn't spent at camp half-blood, certainly more than his age.   
"Nico.... Do you think that maybe he came from your time? Maybe even earlier?" Will felt like an idiot for not realizing that possibility sooner.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> flashbacks, references to approximately page 182 of The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan, that time frame. I maybe be off by a page or two. Dreams, memories, at this point if you're still reading my story you know the jist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, if you see a spelling or a misused homonym etc, let me know. This story is still very much ongoing, I've had a few problems in my homelife which make it a little hard to write and post, but I try to make my updates longer-ish. If you've even slightly enjoyed anything here, could maybe possibly leave feed back or some sort of comment, or even like a random word, I don't know. So yeah, thanks for reading, enjoy.

Chapter Eight  
Cal, past  
"Gods." Cal groaned, releasing another arrow at a target. He knew, he knew exactly how he was supposed to fire the arrow, exactly were he wanted it to go, but could he do it? Of course not. Despite the well of knowledge he had, he was completely failing. He had scrapes and cuts all over his right arm, and the remains of yellow green bruising. Last week he'd bruised his arm so hard that the next time he hit it, it actually popped. Something was seriously wrong with his position or release. The string was always hitting his arm, and the fletching eternally cutting his fingers. The former was gradually becoming purple again with the sustained abuse.  
"I know I'm practically the opposite of an Apollo child, but does he hate me this much, or was that blessing just bogus?" He asked a rather exasperated Alexandra as he flopped down onto the moss beside her.  
"Well, you've been with us for a year, and you haven't aged a day, so it must be you. But archery is also a very precise art, so don't beat yourself up too much."  
He sighed and leaned against the tree, tipping his head back to look at sky. "A year and I'm still completely useless. I can't use a bow, my sword skills are sickening, I can literally widdle. And that's it. As a demigod, shouldn't I have a natural disposition for this?"  
Alexandra shrugged. "It would be easier to help you if you weren't left handed."  
"I still don't get that, how can there be almost twenty of us and there be only one left handed kid?" He shook his head and chuckled. "Just my luck." He clambered to his feet unhappily. "I suppose I have to go get my arrows now, don't I?"  
"I'm afraid so. don't worry I'll help, we have to at least get three decent shots out of you."  
Cal reached out a hand to help her up. They walked shoulder to shoulder in the general direction of where he'd fired the arrows.   
"You know, I'm getting real sick of this archery thing, are you sure I can't get out of it?" He asked sarcastically as he pulled and arrow out of a tree with a grunt.   
"Absolutely sure. You'll get the hang of it eventually. I'm certain of it." She sounded convinced, he certainly wasn't, but at least someone believed in him.  
Cal knew that him being a child of Hades had caused Artemis to have high expectations of him, you big three and all. And she wast very good at hiding her disappointment. It wasn't that he didn't work hard, he did, he wanted to be good at the whole, Hunter of Artemis thing, and remembering mythology, but he just wasn't. The only thing that actually came easy to him besides physical endurance was learning Greek. He could read and write it very well, speaking it was challenging at times as his pronunciation was a little off and he was best at cursing, but he was able to use it fairly often without too much worry. In a way he thought of it occupational jargon. If only he could think of his injuries as an occupational hazard, that would totally work except for the fact that no one else had them. Because of course everyone else was great at archery, no popping purple welts on their arms.  
He grabbed another arrow close to the trunk of a tree, and suddenly a dainty green hand reached up from the roots and smacked his face.   
"I wasn't trying to hit you!" He declared exasperated, "I was trying to hit the target."   
"Then get better at it!" The voice came again, sounding like a shrill whistle, and was followed by an annoying raspberry.   
"I'm trying, I'm sorry!" He grabbed his arrow and left the tree nymph alone. Nature spirits were perpetually aggravated with him because of his mishaps. Like when he'd accidentally shot off a bees nest and it landed on and unsuspecting satyr.... Yeah...  
He heard Alexandra let out a pity filled laugh. "Will you let me help you this time? Please? for the sake of the wood and not your pride." She added.  
Cal huffed. "Fine" He trudged back to her, spirits low. What if he never got the hang of it and they kicked him out?   
It was too soon. Yeah, he was in... Not New York no, but he wasn't far enough from there, his family - he mentally gagged at using that term to describe them - wasn't old or dead yet. They had to at least be old enough that he could claim they were senile if they went after him. Yes, these were slightly outlandish hypothetically (especially as they'd been trying to get rid of him anyway), but one never really knew. He didn't know his step father well enough to know his age, he recognized him by his fist for the most part, but his mother had been very young, and not physically unhealthy. Who knew how long she would last?  
This was what he thought about, maybe he was crazy. Taking a deal to be immortal just so he could escape the mortal world till his parents were dead. It was shocking what fear would do, what running away would lead you to. Because he never wanted to live forever. One lifetime usually felt like more than enough.  
It was weird to think that a little over a year ago he had just cut his hair and had really begun trying to cross dress, and now here he was, once again. Masquerading as a girl in a group exclusively for them. He hated the lie, but he knew it was better than the life he would've ended up living.   
And as the next couple of years went by these thoughts ran through his head almost daily. Along with a few other things he tried to forget about.

Will

Where the heck was Cal? This was dinner time, the last meal of the day, no snacks, and it was the third meal he'd missed. It didn't make sense. How was he not passed out somewhere? He hadn't eaten yesterday either, not that Will had seen. (Will was getting good at keeping an eye out for kids who didn't eat. There had been problems with the Aphrodite cabin in the past.)   
For not the first time, Will was convinced that something very strange was happening. So, he elected to go to the Hypnos cabin to see what he could see. It wasn't like the guy could just go without eating, or if he could, he shouldn't.

 

Cal, present day

A body, heavy in his arms. He knows that she was never heavy, but light like a spring day, healthy and strong. It is because he's been holding her for so long that his arms tremble. Stumbling in the dark, rocks sighting through the souls if his shoes into his feet.   
"I want to forget." He whispered into the nothingness. He wants to forget loving her, to forget looking her, and a million other things. But above all, he is tired. When he sees the river he nearly drops her body. His joints, finally too weak to keep going, don't resist his falling down and he feels no fear. His heart doesn't skip a beat the way it does when he's about to tip over in a chair. When his face hits milky white there is only nothingness. Not bliss, but not pain, not happiness, but not sadness. There is simply relief. But when the white faded to black he knew what was coming.   
***  
"Alexandra," He called, "Behind you!" They stood on the bridge, the moment of eye contact drawn out. He knew how this dream, this reality, how it played out. It was always the same. Always unchangeable, stuck, inevitable, yet every time he relived it, the few seconds felt longer. Maybe it was just that his subconscious wanted to protect the rest of him, give him more time to see the last breaths she took before...  
She turns too late, there is no time to jump to the side. The minotaur's fist bats her out of his way like a fly, a minor annoyance. Her body arcs with the force of the impact and time slows again as her body snaps and flows through liquid air before reality comes back and she slams full force into the side of a car and falls to the ground. The Minotaur continued on his way, throwing cars off into to the distance, trying to hit a small black shape in the air far away. But it doesn't matter now.  
Cal can't get to her fast enough, even if he could there wasn't enough ambrosia in the world to fix the damage. The next he sees are her eyes dulling as her spirit leaves them. He crushes her lips to his, /live, live, live/ he says through the kiss.  
He is falling, falling, falling.. **Impact** His heart slams back into his chest and he clutches it. Gasping for air he swings his legs over the bed, hunched over as her death plays over in his mind.   
"You are as cruel as Thanatos." He whispers, dizzy from hunger and sleep. Body aching. He throws his arms back and lies down, draped perpendicular over the bed and closes his eyes, trying to relax. He knows that when he falls deeply asleep next he'll see her again. But there's no comfort in it any more.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More stuff happens lol This is another past chapter ayyy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been floating for along time it's been literally ages since I posted I'm so sorry. I have more coming, but when Istarted writing I was in a really dark head space, for health reasons Ineeded a mental break and some parts of this are based in my reality so dwelling on them a lot was rough and my shrink was like 'naw dude maybe take a break' so i did and it didn't really help so I'm back. As usual, if you see a spelling error comment about it so I can fix it because it's one in the morning and my editing was probably shit. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter Nine

Cal, past 

He shot a glance at Alexandra across the table, hoping none of the others noticed the blush slowly creeping up his cheeks. He had to stop looking at her, it would be the death of him. Instead he tried to focus on Chiron and what he was saying.  
"The Hunters of Artemis have come, and as is customary, tomorrow night we will have a game of Capture the flag against them. Leaders, choose your allies wisely. The woods have been freshly stocked just for this event. So, it is advised to not travel alone." His usually jovial tone took a serious turn. "We don't need anyone meeting any grizzly ends, so I do ask that as much as may of you wish to prove yourself, do not go into the woods until tomorrow night."   
When he stopped speaking, assorted groups of Nymphs brought platters of food to the table.   
Cal however, busy with butterflies in his stomach, ignored it. He chose instead to try to think of the most interesting drink he'd ever heard of, not an alcoholic one of course. "Orange Julius." He said quietly, marveling at how the glass filled up almost immediately. He took a sip, perfect. From the bits of orange peal just the way he liked it, to the amount of vanilla and pineapple, perfect.  
"What kind of drink is that?" Alexandra asked from across that table.   
He took another sip before answering, "The best in the world, an Orange Julius. Used to make them back-" He stopped himself from saying the word home. "Back before we met."   
She reached across the table, her long arms and nimble hands plucking the glass out of his hand before he could say anything else.  
"Hey! You can make your own you know." He crossed his arms over his chest, frowning as she downed the rest.   
"And you can make more, so I don't see what the problem is." She said with an eyebrow raised as she handed the glass back to him. "It was good by the way."  
"It's the best." He muttered quietly, not looking a her as he watched the glass fill up again. When he next peaked at her, she had made her own and was quickly emptying it.  
"Looks like you caught me," She giggled.  
"Mmmhmm." He assented quietly, his eyes quickly returning to his drink.   
One by one the tables got up to give their offerings to the gods. Before his own table was up he put a scoop of salad onto his plate and added several chicken wings to it. He licked the extra sauce off his fingers before he himself went up.   
"Father,"He pleaded quietly. "I don't know if you know me, but I..." He trailed off, he had no idea what to say. He'd been a demigod for almost ten years -well he always had been, but he hadn't known- and he knew who his father was, but he didn't *know* him. And Hades, beyond the symbol above his head, had not revealed himself in any way. No message, no dreams, no help.  
Cal knew that he had powers because of the god who's ichor ran in his veins, but he'd yet to find anyone to teach him how to use them. Artemis, though a goddess herself, couldn't help. She was a goddess of the wilderness in a sense, and to a point had taken over Pans duties when he faded during the industrial revolution, she ruled the hunt and animals, living things in nature. She acknowledged that she held little sway over life or death beyond the blessing used to make the hunters immortal. She was uncomfortable with the powers associated with children of Hades, in truth, the fact that he was a child of Hades was something he kept secret from all but Alexandra, Fernanda, and Zoe. As Artemis' luetenant there were things she got to know after all. It was obvious that there was something off about him though, even the wolves got antsy when he was around. When he was alone or keeping watch on nights during a hunt, the wolves stalked him with hackles raised, ready to attack or flee if need be. Horses and pegasi were just as bad, they couldn't stand him. It was honestly unsettling to him that he was unsettling to them. It was also, not to say that animals existed for his convenience, but the fact that he couldn't ride a wolf or horse etc was 1, quite sad, and 2, very inconvenient.  
He shook the thoughts out of his head and scraped some of his food off his plate. The smell of the smoke from the fire pit, though it smelled amazing only succeeded in making him queasy. He pushed the rest of his food off despite the growling in his stomach. He knew it would just make him feel sick and bloated anyways. He started to turn and walk away when he felt a hand on his shoulder, large green eyes stared solemnly into his own.  
"You need to eat you know."  
He shook her hand off. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He offered her a small smile for assurance.   
Alexandra shook her head, unconvinced and Cal shrugged, heading back to the table. She sat down next to him instead of across when she got back.  
"Blessing of artemis or not, food is important." She said seriously.  
"I told you, I'm fine." He took a sip of his drink but regretted it when tried to make it's way out again. He forced himself to swallow and not gag aloud, that wouldn't help now would it? "I was just thinking, that's all. Maybe he'll send someone my way to teach me if I give him extra. I'm not hungry, I promise." The lie felt dirty in his mouth. He hated lying more than anything, but he lied about things like this frequently. He had never told them of his life before the hunters, though he supposed that the shape he'd been in when they found him was sign enough. If it wasn't, then the scars that dotted his body were a sure sign of the abuse he'd undergone. He hadn't seen his mother or stepfather in nine years, he realized.   
There was something about being with the hunters that seemed to speed up anything in time that was irrelelvant. Sleeping was a blur, meals were blurs, time spent traveling, it was as though those things didn't happen. Yes, of course remembered them, it wasn't like the memories were taken or erased, but he had to work for it. Maybe it was the cost of timelessness, a human memory can only hold so much. He didn't know how Zoe did it, being several thousand years old. He had a feeling there was more to her than what meets the eye. She was rather intimidating though, so he had yet to muster up the courage to ask her of her life. He figured that whatever it was, it wasn't good, but she was nice enough.   
Cal knew that most of the discomfort he felt was because of paranoia. But in a sense it didn't matter. He had secrets, secrets he had to keep for his own good. He doubted that he would hurt the others with the information he withheld, but he didn't want them to hate him. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle that kind of rejection again. He couldn't go into that situation not knowing. At the same time he already knew that as a boy he didn't belong here, that he shouldn't have joined in the first place. But it was still to soon to leave.   
No matter where he went, if he lived as himself, the threat of asylum or abuse would be a threat hanging over his head for the rest of his existence. But he could live with the hunters.  
A lie could create so much safety.   
A chicken wing dropped onto his plate, and Cal jumped.  
"Callen," Fernanda said from behind him, and turned in his seat. "Eating is very important."  
He hung is head. "Really Alexandra?" He looked up just long enough to shoot a glare at her, he hadn't even noticed her going to talk to Fernanda. "It's not important if you aren't hungry."   
"How are you not hungry?" Alexandra asked exasperated. "I've been watching you, it's been two days since you've eaten anything, and the last time you did eat you had half a sandwich."   
"If I was hungry I'd have eaten more." He grumbled, putting his hands on either side of his head and staring into the glass. The sweet smell in swirling orange made him cringe and he continued to watch as it slowly turned to water. It was almost as though the liquid was tied to him. Indecisive, knowing he should have somethig else, but not sure if he wanted to risk it.   
He scoffed aloud and stood. "I think I'm just gonna tuck in for bed, alright?" He pushed past Fernanda and in the direction of the cabin. It was a fairly ridiculous thing now to expect he'd be able to sleep, but maybe he would actually try. The sun hadn't fully set.  
"Not sleeping then." He glanced the sky, only just barely beginning to hint at orange. He slowed his pace and looked behind him back towards the table.   
The others had gone back to eating and the space where he'd been sitting had been redistributed between the girls, allowing them to sit and inch or two apart. They'd no doubt be leaving with another few girls, he'd been told they always did. Even now he could see a few curious campers talking to Artemis at the head of the table.   
It was both happy and sad when they brought new girls in. Happy because the Hunters were a new family, but sad because it was a reminder that so many of the demigods didn't have a family. Maybe some woud have stories like his, but he doubted it. Abuse, entirely possible... but some other parts? Unlikely.   
When Cal looked around, he couldn't help but wonder why Artemis had seemed like she thought this place wouldn't be safe for him. Of the campers that he'd spoken to they all seemed nice, more learned, especially the Athena kids, but nice all the same. As with all groups there'd be a bad apple, but he could deal with that.   
At this point though, he knew a good chunk of this group and they knew him in a way, as someone he wasn't. It wasn't like he changed his personality or anything, and at times that was enough to make others think he was a weirdo. First glance he supposed he looked like a boy. Most girls, it seemed, were supposed to have an Aphrodite air, and that was definitely something he didn't have.  
Cal jumped when he felt a hand on his arm.   
"Where you off to Hon?" A sweet southern voice sounded in his ear. "Not supposed to go to the woods alone." A set of deep brown eyes stared into his.  
"I'm just walking around." He said quietly, taking a moment to study the face that was stil almost alarmingly close to his. Frizzy black hair framed a face with skin not much lighter than her eyes and the picture was completed by a high forhead and strong but still round cheekbones.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some more shit happens basically I'm nota great writer lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, Istarted going to public school, got diagnosed with major depression, and got in deep shit with a class A narcissist. It's been a fucking year basically. But I'm gonnna try to post again just because Ihave nothing else to do.
> 
> Also it'skinda weird to write this now because I actaully am trans and go by Callen almost everywhere and Istarted writing this in evena worse space than I am now, and since Callen is basically me... Well idk, maybe some evolution for his character is coming??? Idk

She took a step back, "Forgive me, I'm forgetting myself." She said, suddenly sounding, "You probably aren't used to people who look like me, my name's Emmathy I'm from the Aphrodite cabin. Beggin your pardon." Emamathy started to turn around and Cal blinked still a little startled, but he spoke.   
"No,no, it's fine. I'm sorry, you caught me by surprise, I didn't think anyone noticed I'd gone. I'm Callen, I'm here with the Hunters."  
Emmathy turned around. "I suppose I should've guessed." She flashed a bright smile, "You have the weapons," She gestured to the knives on my belt, "But you don't look much like the rest of the girls."  
"I get that a lot." He shrugged with an embarassed laugh and scratched the back of his head. "Were.. Were you looking to join?"   
She shrugged. "Maybe, I have a dad in the city, but nothing else. Loves me, he does, but doesn't know much how to raise a kid."  
Cal nodded before speaking. "Well, if it means anything, he seems to have done alright so far." He paused before speaking more seriously. "It's a big decision to make... It's a commitment, sometimes it feels like living on borrowed time." For him it was borrowed time. "If there are things you don't want to leave behind it's not a good fit."  
"And if there's something you want to run from?" She said her eyebrows lifting.  
Callen leaned away, taking a long look at her. "I- I don't think running is the best way to handle fear. But I guess it just depends on what your afraid of." He cleared his throat and shrugged.  
"Come on Cal, lighten up, it was just a thought. Nothing to be so serious about, smart words though." She punched his shoulder with a quiet laugh.  
A small smile creeped onto his face and an awkward laugh bubbled up in the back of his mouth. "Sorry, long day. You should get back to your friends, there's camp songs soon right?"

 

Present, Will

Will knocked on the door to the Hypnos cabin and waited for a response from within. When thirty seconds later there was no response he knocked harder before resigning himself to entering. It wasn't like he hadn't announced himself.   
"Mr. Dead guy, Cal, are you even alive? You're missing dinner, I'm already late." He made his way to the back of the cabin and heard a groan.   
"You are alive, who'd 'Ave thought, you know, since you haven't eaten in like, two days and you've been shadow traveling and the like."  
"Fuck off Will." Came Callen's tired voice again. He was lying on his stomach, his face pressed into the mattress and smothered by his pillow, fully dressed.   
"I will write you up with Chiron. I'm head medic and head of the Apollo cabin, you gotta get up and eat man." Will reached out to grab his arm.  
"I told you to go." Callen grumbled his chest heaving a sigh.   
"That's BS man, your gonna kill yourself." Will tugged on his arm but he didn't budge. "What's this even about?"  
Cal pulled his head out from under the pillow and looked Will up and down with reddened eyes. He honestly looked like death, and Will was beginning to notice this as a trend among Hades kids. His lips were stretched tightly over his teeth in a straight line. It looked like someone who was too tired to be angry was trying to glare.   
"Look, if your trying to freak me out it's not working, you just look pathetic."  
"Thank you for that wonderful observation." He responded flatly. "Look," He blinked his eyes a few time, like he was clearing away confusion, "I don’t want to talk about it, go get dinner, don't go missing it on my account."   
"I'm a doctor, sacrificing my time for the good of others is like, in the bold print." Will put a hand on his hip and shifted from foot to foot.   
"Will, my problems are with the dead, long dead. I'm fine."  
"You see if you hadn't added the obvious lie of 'I'm fine' it would've been slightly more believable."  
Cal shoved his face back into his pillow and groaned again. “What do you do want me to say?” He sighed again, this time more resigned. “I’ve lived a long time, longer than you think. I’m old enough to be my brother’s dad.” He paused, waiting for will to stop choking.  
Will blinked his eyes and cleared his throat, “Don’t tell me you were in the lotus casino too.” He tried for a more casual response. He couldn’t say that he didn’t believe what he’d just heard; it was in line with rumors he’d heard.  
Cal pulled himself up and sat cross-legged like he was preparing to tell a long story. “No, I was with the Hunters for a hundred years. Late summer of nineteen-sixteen, ran away, they found me.” He stared at his hands knotted in lap.   
“So you…” Will’s throat went dry as a series of realizations went through his head. He didn’t want to be rude and ask a question like that.   
"Yeah, I am, was... I don't know... It's complicated, but... at the battle of Manhattan... Someone, a lot of people I love died, and I left, went to the underworld for the first time, met Hypnos, I wish I could say it was blur.. I guess some parts of it were... Hypnos and I made a deal, it's complicated like I said. I just have a problems, okay? That's all you need to know, trust me it's all you need to know. You've got a summary now." Cal sighed and ran his hands through his hair, his face was going whiter, the rosy flush he usually maintained despite everything fading. He looked like he was gonna throw up, but when he looked up he had a hard steely glint in his eyes. "Either say something or get out. I don't know what else you need to hear, I already confirmed like three different rumors and if you tell a soul I will plague you. By Alexandra Clarke I swear it, I will.”  
Who the hell was Alexandra Clarke? Will wondered. The name didn’t sound familiar, but whoever she was she was important.   
"Now go eat dinner with my bro- Your boyfriend." He sighed and when Cal eye's met Will's they were raw. "Treasure those moments, don't waste them."  
When two seconds later Will was still standing in front of him with his arms crossed, he stoodwith shocking speed. He stalked forward and grabbed his shirt a wave of anger crossing his face. Will took a deep breath, still looking at him with that 'trust me I know what's best and I'm not leaving till you listen to me' face.   
"I'm not going anywhere without you dude, I stand by what I said, you gotta ea,t if you don't eat you don't live, and that's not something I'm comfortable with."  
Cal let go of his shirt and took a deep breath, swaying on his feet like the brief show of emotion exhausted him. "If you aren't gonna go anywhere, and I'm not actually going to hurt you for no apparent reason, then I'm out of here." He grabbed a sheathed sword from the end of his bed and clipped it onto his belt. He kept his hand on the hilt as he made for the door.  
Will grabbed his arm. "Nobody here is gonna hate you for who you are." He paused, feeling Cal's forearm tense in his grasp as he stilled.   
"Let go of me."  
"No. You need to listen to me. I get it, you have a past, a rough one, with all sorts of problems, and I'm not gonna ask about what happened to make you run away or anything like that. But that was more than a century ago and you need to move on. If your problems are with the dead, you’re a Hades kid; you could sort things out with the ones you cared about that died. And if you can't, they moved on. They'd want you to do the same." Cal wrenched his arm out of Will's grip.  
"Good speech, I appreciate the effort and I'm glad you care. Thanks for trying to help. But I've got a whole 'nother life to figure myself out, as do we all. Focus on taking care of the people you love most, they're the ones that deserve it." His hand was on the door and his eyes were focused on the floor.  
Last chance to do this right. "Then I've gotta devote a chunk of focus to you." Even if Nico and Cal didn't get along well, they were still technically siblings, that was something. But Will automatically cared about anyone who made their home at Camp Half-Blood. They were all one big family. If he could just get him to listen.   
"Will, please."   
Will watched as his knuckles turned white against the bronze of his sword. "Would you sit with us? I'm not asking you to gorge yourself or even talk if you don't want to, we can sit at the Hades table if you want, or if there's room at the Apollo table. Just have something, even if it's only a smoothy, stop isolating yourself for a minute and give this place a chance. You care about Nico right?"  
"Of course, he's my brother, I wouldn't have said to you what I did yesterday if I didn't. I only wanted to help." Cal was quiet and soft, the anger from before quieted.   
"Then treasure time with him the way you meant to before."   
"You're never gonna stop until I go with you are you?"  
"Alas, it would go against my instinct." Will replied.  
There was an audible thump when Cal put his forhead on the door, like he was cursing himself for the decision he was about to make. "Fine." He opened thedoor wide and stepped out, holding it open for Will. "After you." He said, sounding suddenly much more well mannered.  
Will squinted at him suspicious of the change.  
"What, I'm being polite, I'm not gonna bite you. I'd get a hellound for that." He tried for a smile and chuckled. He stopped in the middle though, and seemed unsettled by the sound. Then he looked at Will again, "Are you coming or not, because I can still disapear."   
"Yeah, right." Will shook his head and crossed the thresh hold.   
They walked shoulder to shoulder in the direction of the tables. Even from a distance they could hear the chitter-chatter.   
Cal wasn't quite as tall as he appeared at times, he was actually two or so inches shorter than Will. Maybe it was the ominous presence?   
When they made it to the Apollo table Nico was already there chatting with the other campers, a smile on his face. When Will came up with Cal at his the table quieted. Nico looked confused and stopped midsentence to look where everyone else was. His smiled faded and turned to a mild glare as he looked his brother up and down and then raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend.  
//I did not think this through.// Was Will's first thought. He opened his mouth, either to ask others to scoot down so there was room, or to ask Nico to come to the Hades table he didn't get to find out before someone else spoke up.   
"What is this a refugee camp for lost and dejected Hades kids? Isn't it time they started sitting at their own table since they keep popping up?"  
"Excuse me?" Again Will's mouth was open when someone else spoke, this time it was Nico.  
"You heard what I said." Agnes spoke again, "Last I checked this was a place for Apollo kids, you shouldn't even be here. And Will, I get it, you wanna help out your boyfriend and whoever that guy is," she gestured to Cal, "But you're hardly ever around these days, you're here when you absoloutly have to be, but-"  
"Agnes, I know what my responsibilities as cabin leader are, I also know what they are as one of the primary medics and counselors of the whole camp. I have to balance that and if you want to take it up with me, you can approach me any time. You can interupt anything you think I'm doing or ask anything you like of me-"  
"Look, I'll just go, I'm not gonna cause trouble and let you take the fall for it, I'm sure I can manage at my table." Cal raised his hands defensively and backed away from the group.   
"I think I might just do the same. I didn't realize I was such an inconvienience to you Agnes, I almost thought we were friends." Nico sighed and stood. The table remained quiet when he put a hand on Will's shoulder. "Don't be mad at them, take care of your kid's it's alright. It wasn't meant to be a permanent arrangement anyways. I'm not going anywhere, you know, in the big picture." He offered a half smile, but he knew that it didn't mean much. He might not be mad at Will, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt.   
"I'm sorry, Hon, I'll try to sort it out." Will searched his eyes, waiting for some of the light to come back to them.  
Nico glance behind him a rather rueful fire in his eyes. "Don't worry about it, I don't want to get in the way. They've got a point I guess." As Nico took his first step away he trailed his hand down Will's arm.  
Will turned and watched his boyfriend leave helplessly. At least he was dragging Cal to dinner. Maybe it would go well and he would have one less camper to deal with.


End file.
